


The Seam Cobbler

by MegaAuLover



Series: The Apothecary Bakery [2]
Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Cannon au, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:27:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28587975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaAuLover/pseuds/MegaAuLover
Summary: Delly is promised to marry Peeta, but she ends up getting pregnant by Gale. Pregnant Delly must marry to be able to keep the family business. What happens when Gale Gaylord Yancy Hawthorne marries the Merchant girl no one wanted?
Relationships: Delly Cartwright/Gale Hawthorne, Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Series: The Apothecary Bakery [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2098743
Comments: 28
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sister story to Apothecary Bakery a story I wrote for EverlarkFicExchange in 2018. This is how Gale and Delly started messing around. (Special thanks to Norbertsmom who beta’d this story and to the crew at MoreS2SL for hosting this wonderful charity.) this has some Caliente scenes

**One Year Ago**

Sunday- Beginning of Spring

Gale felt it the moment Katniss left his side; she sprung away from him as if he had some incurable disease. The freak snow squall had them ducking for cover in one of their safety shelters. They did nothing but hunker down to wait out the bad weather. Gale thought this was the perfect opportunity for them to talk. Katniss was furious, he could tell, she had that scowl on her face that caused her eyes to narrow into slits. Her message was clear: Katniss Everdeen wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't go near him not even for warmth.

He saw when she stood outside and she shook, and not from the cold. Katniss brushed herself off as if she was attempting to get his smell off of her. Rolling onto his back, he threw his arm over his face. All of the months spent flirting meant nothing. He knew Katniss was on the fence about them, but he tried his best to make her see he was more than just a great hunting buddy.

He cleaned up his act. He stopped seeing other women, stopped hanging out with his buddies after work. Gale stopped drinking and began hanging out with his siblings in an effort to show Katniss he could be responsible and that he was serious about settling down. He'd done all that in the hopes that when she graduated, come the summer, they could talk about the future. He wanted to settle down and eventually have children.

Gale sat miserably, not following her.

It wasn't that he wanted Katniss, it's just that she was the only one who didn't objectify him. He wanted someone who saw him, not just a good looking guy or a good lay. He wanted for his wife to be his partner, much the same way he and Katniss were partners in the forest and with their trading business. It's why he thought it a natural progression for him and Katniss to become husband and wife.

Feeling her leave was like a kick in the gut. If Katniss couldn't stand to sleep next to him for a few hours in the woods, where she was the happiest, she wouldn't be able to sleep with him in a bed. The reality made him wince.

Getting out from the forest he walked, not toward home, but to the Hob. But It was dark out and flurries fell from the dark clouds above. He went to Ripper's place.

"Gale Hawthorne," Ripper greeted from her tiny home.

"Hello, Ripper?"

"I haven't seen you in a year," Ripper said. She was a wiry woman who had an illegal distillery in the district.

"I." How did he explain that he had been keeping away from debauchery because of a girl who didn't want anything with him.

"How's your ma?"

"Fine." He didn't want to talk, but he didn't want to be impolite. Ripper once refused to sell liquor to one of his buddies because he'd pissed her off.

"Your sister must be growing like a reed."

"She's getting taller," he agreed. He decided to cut the chit-chat. Tonight he needed to get drunk to feel better and forget what a fool he had been. "I need a bottle."

"It must be a rough night for you to knock on my door at this time of the night," Ripper said.

"Yeah," he said, not wanting to elaborate.

"Special price. Because you look like you need a drink."

Gale purchased a bottle of cheap liquor. Thanked Ripper and made his way out into the night. He opened it up and drank. The liquid burned going down. Coughing he wiped his mouth. It had been nearly a year since he last drank.

The liquid hit his empty stomach and immediately the sharp edges of pain blurred. He took another sip and walked toward the Slag Heap where he knew he could find a warm body to bury himself in. However, when he stood at the doors, he stopped. Something in him and told him not to go in.

The Slag Heap once was the place where junk was piled up on but someone made a ramshackle house where men or women could buy a room for a clandestine evening. Or where a man or a woman could buy a warm body to satisfy a craving or an itch. It grew into a sort of bar where you could easily buy expensive liquor, drugs, anything that not even the Hob carried.

For a good looking guy, he was no stranger to the environment within the illicit place. Gale turned and slunk into an alley to drink. To do what he did best, observe. As a trapper, he was conditioned to watch people, situations, things. He'd seen a lot of things as a kid.

Growing up, Gale's life wasn't perfect. It's why he wanted what he'd missed as a child. He wanted to be loved and he wanted to love. However, nothing he did or planned went his way. Was he doomed to live a lonely existence settling for someone who didn't see him? At the rate he was going, that was the bleary future.

Gale looked at the bottle, his eyes were hazy. He knew that drinking wasn't the answer. He slinked down in the alleyway. His legs were feeling numb and the snow looked like dancing fairies falling.

It was then he saw something he wasn't sure was real. Gale looked at the bottle, before peering into the dimly lit night. He stood and shuffled forward.

"What the hell?" Gale muttered. The creature looked like it materialized from a childhood storybook. Gale saw Little Red Riding Hood walking through the streets of the district and he wanted to follow her.

In his drunken state, Gale rubbed his eyes unsure if maybe this was the alcohol making this vision appear. The person in the red cloak and hood approached the alley where he was slouched. Her steps were hesitant, and although the hood hid her face he could see golden hair peek out from the folds of the cloak.

Looking at the bottle once more, he squinted, following silently with his eyes. In his head, Gale called her Red, as she slowly neared where he was. He watched her pause, look from side to side, before turning, not noticing him in the dark alley.

Like the silent wolf, Gale followed her in the darkness. He watched Red approach the Slag Heap. This intrigued him because in his head her hesitation, the way her hand reached out to touch the door but then withdrew, let him know she was innocent.

He watched her walk up to the small window and try to peer inside. Red's curiosity would burn her because if he was a wolf, she was facing the den of wolves. He had a choice to make, let her get eaten alive by the wildness inside of the Slag Heap, or save Red. That was the night his life changed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the last time Gale had spotted little red riding hood in the district and he decided to save her...but did he really save her? Let's fast forward one year and see what happened...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to norbertsmom for her absolute stellar betaing job. I do not own the Hunger Games.

**Beginning of Spring One Year Later**

"DELLY IS PREGNANT!" The witch's shrill could be heard from the inside of his house. "YOUR SON IMPREGNATED HER!"

His mother stood rigid, calmly watching Mrs. Mellark yell at the top of her lungs.

"So it says here," his mother said, holding the paperwork. "It says she's nine weeks." By the tone in her voice, she was not amused by what she was reading.

Gale's heartbeat quickly. He'd heard gossip of the baby, but it was being attributed to Peeta, the man Delly claimed she felt nothing for. He was angry and upset and walked away from her. He had turned his attention back to Katniss.

He scanned the crowd, but he didn't see Delly's face. He knew her not just in the carnal sense, but he thought they were friends. At least they were friends until they began having sex. It was supposed to be a one-time thing but it became more. He swallowed and thought she was having _his_ baby.

"Your son is a lawbreaker…." Mrs. Mellark pointed at him, "...a no good poacher."

Gale knew the reason why the witch was up in arms. In town, all the merchants needed to have a clear successor to carry on the family business. Each descendant had to be married by the age of 19. Peeta was about to turn 19, but since he was engaged to Delly everything was fine. That was until Christmas time and Delly announced she thought she was pregnant. Because of Daniel, a DNA test had to be made to make sure the baby was genetically fine, the results had the whole of the district gathered in front of his door. And the baby was his. Gale relished the news secretly. At least his child would never have to fear going into the Hunger Games.

Although he hated the quota in the mines, he did not mind the work. He shuddered to think about what Districts 1, 2, 5, and 13 went through on a yearly basis. The Hunger Games were brutal, and all for the entertainment of the Capitol. They did have standards to abide by, like the ones the Merchants had to live up to, but at least they were free and the Peacekeepers did exactly what their name suggested, they kept the peace.

Gale breathed out a rough breath as the enormity of the paper that his mother held hit him. He finally had a valid reason for seeing his Red. His little Red riding hood. His blood pumped south, as his body reacted to the idea of seeing Delly once more. Then he glanced at Mrs. Mellark who accused him of being a criminal.

"Now wait one minute, Myrtle. My son is a good provider. Don't go splitting hairs just because you're not getting what you want, like the spoiled brat that you are." Hazelle spoke with authority. "This also says here the father has Merchant blood."

"HOW CAN THAT BE!" Mrs. Mellark yelled, stomping her feet!

"Yes, I forgot." His mother grinned, taking pleasure in Mrs. Mellark's obvious displeasure. "Gale's grandfather on my husband's side was a Merchant. A big lumbering man named Gaylord."

The Cartwright's stepped forward from Mrs. Mellark's shadow. "Wwww...we...we just want to know," Mr. Cartwright stumbled through his words as he held on tightly to his wife's hand. "What is your son going to do about our daughter?"

Gale blinked; he'd never met his grandfather, but the man was a legend in the Seam. He was loud, boisterous, and quite the ladies' man. His mother always said Gale's perchance for women came from his grandpa on his dad's side.

"Of course, Gale will do right by your daughter." Hazelle looked over her shoulder directly at him. "Isn't that right Gale Gaylord Yancy Hawthorne?"

He closed his eyes as his mother called him by his full name. Gale came outside, head cast down. "Yes ma'am."

"I can't hear you," his mother practically growled.

"Mr. Cartwright." Gale glanced at his mother quickly, before continuing, "Please allow me the honor of marrying your daughter."

This appeased the older balding man. "We accept."

Mrs. Mellark began yelling. Gale frowned, once more wondering where Delly was. He walked outside looking for her, needing to see his Red. The hunter in him looked for her in the crowd. Like a wolf, he moved about amongst the people seeking her familiar scent. Nine weeks, that was two and a half months. He knew exactly when she got pregnant. That night was etched into his brain.

It was chilly outside that night. Gale recalled the way his breath came out in thick puffs. While everyone was sleeping he couldn't sleep and sought out one of Ripper's specialty white liquor. Ripper had guessed correctly that what ailed him tonight was a female. Not just any female, his woman, his Red.

Momentarily his intellect went out the window and Gale was transformed into a drunk pea-brained idiot, and all because of an innocent girl in a red cloak. Red made him feel, made him want, desire, made him dream. And their situation was irrevocably complicated and messed up.

He stood outside half-drunk, jealous of Peeta Mellark, throwing stones at her window. There was no mistaking that he was jealous of Mellark because he had both of the women he wanted. Katniss, who'd never admit it, but Gale saw the way she watched Peeta when she thought nobody noticed. Katniss was beautiful, and she was a good hunting partner. But on the other hand, Delly, who Peeta was engaged to, had her own sort of grace and beauty. She was sweet and innocent and she made him laugh. Delly, whom his wolfish heart wanted to devour and possess in the way a wolf claimed his mate.

There was no reason for him to go after Delly. She didn't have the Seam pretty looks, but there was something about her that made his heart pound in his chest whenever he was around her. They'd been fooling around for weeks now, yet his jealousy had caused them to argue.

He saw the light in the shoe shop turn on and saw her face peering at him from her window. When she opened the door with the light spilling behind her she looked like an angel.

Gale stumbled forward. He growled, "You want me?"

Gently she took his hand. In a reassuring voice, she answered truthfully, "Yes."

"You do?"

"Yes, I do." She touched his face with soft fingers and his heart raced. "Do you want to come inside?"

He nodded. She was an angel he had no right to touch, but couldn't help himself. Delly was such a unique girl, he was drawn to her. Once inside they talked and promised to end the relationship. They drank on it, but before he left, he kissed her. Things had gotten out of control as they ended upstairs, wildly going at it on the bed. Gale tried to show her that he was good enough for her. That night he gave her everything. He didn't even realize he'd managed to compromise her and he stupidly believed the baby she carried wasn't his. But science didn't lie. Science told the truth.

The DNA report his mother read was shocking, but at the same time, something within him roared at the thought of her having his baby.

His mate carried his progeny. Gale inhaled sharply. When the rumors started to spread that Red was pregnant Gale felt it deeply. His pain and jealousy caused him to act stupidly to believe Mellark had gotten his hands on her and compromised her. That thought drove him mad, to know another touched his mate, his Red, and Gale couldn't do anything about it until now.

"Gaylord, huh?"

Katniss snapped him out of his thoughts. He didn't even realize Katniss was standing in front of him. "Shut up, Everdeen."

"Sure, Yancy." Katniss snickered.

Gale pointed at her, his eyes narrowed. Delly knew his name and she never made fun of him. "You call me either one of those names ever again and I swear I'll make a trap big enough to get you."

"Isn't Gale short for-" Gale didn't let her finish her question.

He sighed. "I'm named after my paw, and my two grandfathers."

Katniss laughed at him and it got on his nerves. He was thinking of Delly, of their baby, of the nine weeks of separation. The wolf in him was awake and wanted to desperately find his mate.

"Gale, come along, the Cartwrights and our family are going to break bread," his mother called.

"See you," Gale said to Katniss before he walked up to the house. The Cartwrights were still with his family. They were quiet folks, they were silently waiting for him.

"Where is your daughter?" he asked Mr. Cartwright.

"Watching Daniel."

"I think if our families are going to join in marriage and break bread afterward, we should get Delly and do it together with Daniel."

Gale watched his mother nod.

"I have no objections. Daniel is part of the family." His mother said, "Boys go wash up, your brother's getting hitched."

Internally Gale knew he was going to see his Red for the first time in weeks. He just hoped she didn't throw a shoe at him. He certainly deserved it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now the entire district knows a few things is pregnant with Gale's baby, not Peeta's 2. Gale's full name is Gale Gaylord Yancy Hawthorne 3. Gale will have to marry Delly 4. Gale has Merchant blood. - the question remains can these two make a marriage out of broken promises and a sense of duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be read along with Apothecary Bakery - I do not own the Hunger Games-thank you to Norbertsmom for being the best Beta

Delly waited nervously with her brother Daniel. He was in his wheelchair reading a book. Mrs. Mellark had dragged her from her bed in the shoe shop here to her parent's house. As Daniel's condition worsened, her parents couldn't live in the shop. When she was twelve they bought a single-story house on the edge of town, facing the meadow. Daniel needed a lot of space to move around in his wheelchair.

Her parents took turns to stay in the shop, to open it while the other made sure Delly and Daniel went off to school. After school, Delly was in charge of her brother's care until her parents arrived.

When she turned fourteen, her parents began to give her more responsibility in the shoe shop, teaching her the administrative side. She learned how to do inventory, how to set up orders for materials, and who and where to order from. Delly liked to make shoes for children and she was also a wiz with repairs. When she turned sixteen her parents began to let her stay once a week at the shop by herself on Saturdays. Friday nights she found herself working late into the night fixing and designing shoes. By the time she turned eighteen she'd been living on her own in the apartment above the shoe shop.

Her parents trusted her. But they didn't know how to deal with her perky boisterous personality. Her parents were so quiet and were relieved when she stayed above the shop. But her parents weren't the only ones who had a problem with who she was. Mrs. Mellark expected her to act like the other girls, to look like the other Merchant girls, and Delly felt short from the mark. She was short, fat, and with unruly hair and mouth. She wasn't crass, but she just wasn't quiet.

Knowing she wasn't the ideal for anyone, including Peeta drove her to want to do something for herself. Want to break out of the monotony. It drove her to the Slag Heap and that led her to Gale. Her hands went to her still flat stomach. That fateful night changed her life. He looked like a wolf coming out of the darkness. His hair was wild and he looked at her. He charmed her and convinced her not to go inside of the Slag Heap. Gale's vulnerability the morning after that had her thinking they could be friends.

Delly was in the kitchen trying to be as quiet as possible, even though she had never taken a drink in her life she knew from experience how serious hangovers were.

Gale had stumbled out of the spare room that once belonged to Daniel.

"Good morning," she whispered, smiling at his disheveled state. He looked even more wolfish with the shadowy stubble on his face. His hair was in disarray standing up yet looking roguish.

"Why are you so cheery?" Gale flopped in the chair at the kitchen, his hands buried in his hair.

"I don't have a hangover," she whispered.

"True." Gale shrugged.

"I have some aspirin and water.."

"Aspirin?"

"It's a pill from the Capitol. We have it for Daniel. It works well with hangovers." She put the glass of water in front of him and the pills. "Here."

Gale drank the water and took the pills, but grimaced.

"How about some chamomile tea."

"Mmm," he moaned. "Tea."

"I'm making toast." She frowned trying to determine how hungover he was. "Do you feel like throwing up?"

"No, I'm not nauseous. I didn't drink enough to throw up. I do have a headache and the lights feel like they're stabbing me in the eyes."

"The aspirin will help with that."

"First off, how the hell do you even know how I feel?" He growled and then he peered at her. "Have you ever been drunk, Red?"

"No. I've never touched the stuff." She smiled putting the cup of tea in front of him, along with the toast, and sat down across from him. "But I learned it the hard way when Bannock showed up here because he didn't want to go home, drunk as a skunk," Delly said.

"Bannock Mellark?"

"He didn't want his parents to know he was out partying. So he would crash here and then sneak into the bakery. He was always a hot mess in the morning. He needed four things to survive, water to rehydrate, something for his headache, toast for his stomach after he threw up, and afterward something greasy to eat."

"Huh," Gale grumbled, his eyes did a thing where he peered at her as if he were figuring her out. "Did your fiance know?"

"Who do you think snuck Bannock into the bakery?"

"Huh," he said once more, his eyes did that thing. It was almost as if he was figuring something out. He took a sip. "This is good."

"It helps." She drank from her cup. Even though it was Sunday. She was writing down the things she needed to get done.

"What were you doing at the Slag Heap, Red?" Gale asked quietly, his eyes were like beams staring directly into her, expecting a truthful answer. "I was shocked to see you there?"

"To be honest," she shrugged. "No one wants me."

He frowned then he looked at her. "I feel the same way."

"Really?"

"I want things and I feel like no one wants to see me for me. They see a good lay."

Delly wasn't sure what he meant by a good lay, but she wondered if it had to do with sex. There were rumors in the district about his prowess with women. "Why wouldn't they want to get to know you? Last night you prevented me from doing something disastrous. You were kind, even in your inebriated state. I could have taken advantage of you last night."

"I think besides Katniss you're the first girl who hasn't tried to take advantage of me. Men think I'm angry all of the time and the women well," he shrugged.

"Last night you looked like you needed a friend. Someone to speak to."

"Are you offering me friendship?"

Delly couldn't help the heat that invaded her pale cheeks. She probably looked splotchy and gross. If anything, her throat became dry and she suddenly lost her ability to speak. Somehow she sounded discombobulated when she answered, "Yes."

He stared at her once more with that look then suddenly he as if he solved whatever he was figuring in his head his eyes gleamed right before he said. "I'd like that. I'd like to be your friend. I'm going to warn you, I don't have many friends. A lot of the people that I used to know stopped hanging out with me when I stopped my partying."

Gale was being his authentic self. "I get that, I understand. It happened to Bannock as well. When he settled down, most of the people he knew just stopped coming round."

"I was trying to get my acts straight. I figured I needed to change my life to attract the right girl, you know. But she didn't want me." He picked up a piece of toast.

His confession caught her off guard. She blurted, "But you're so pretty?"

"You think I'm pretty?" Gale started laughing. "I've been called a lot of things, but not pretty?"

Delly blushed. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to insult you. Most attractive people don't have to worry about their looks, it helps them get things in life. But I can see how people only stick with the physical exterior, never bothering to get to know you. That happens to me, but not because I'm pretty; it's because I'm ugly. They don't want to get to know me." Delly then glanced at him and realized she was blabbering. "Sorry I tend to do that and it's why most people don't want me around. They find me to be annoying."

"I'm not insulted, and you're not annoying." He gave her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes at him. This made him grin at her. "You are sweet and caring, and I think people take you for granted."

"Yeah," Delly said. "I think the same can be said of you."

"They use me for self-gratification and I'm often left feeling empty."

Delly suddenly saw someone who was in pain. "When was the last time you spoke plainly without someone with them judging you? Or expecting you to perform?"

Gale snorted, "Never."

"What is it that you want?"

"I can't believe that I'm going to tell you this, and do not judge me."

"Really, you do realize I was going to go to the Slag Heap to commit some act of illicit debauchery. I wanted to do something not safe."

He laughed. "An act of illicit debauchery?"

"Well, I've never been to the Slag Heap. Bannock talked about and I thought it would be daring to go inside. Even if I ordered water."

He opened his mouth. "You're really not kidding."

"Unfortunately I am not a good liar."

"I can see that, but I get it, so in the spirit of friendship, I want more. I want to share my life with someone, not just my body."

His frank nature and sincerity made Delly smile. Here was the town's most eligible man. The hulky fierce hunter that reminded her of a wolf was lonely. She'd learn later on that he wanted a family; he wanted a partner in life. What Gale wanted was Katniss, and she wasn't Katniss, but for a brief moment in time, Delly imagined she was what he wanted-what he needed. Her hands softly rubbed the spot over her womb, her skin feeling tight and achy.

His baby lay right beneath where her fingers lay. The door opened and Delly squared her shoulders. It was time for her to face the music.

Her parents came in and Delly stood from the kitchen table and walked out. Either she was going to jail, she was staying with Peeta, or Gale refused her. She could not think of any other possible solutions. As of late, Gale couldn't stand the sight of her. He was so jealous of Peeta that he couldn't see what was in front of him. Frankly, even though her feelings for him had never diminished she wasn't sure she wanted to see him or what she would do if she had to see him again.

Closing her eyes, Delly tried to not cry. She calmed herself down for the sake of the life she carried.

"Delly, your young man has agreed to marry you," her mother said calmly.

Not sure what they meant, she glanced to see the front door open as the Hawthornes filled up the living area. She blushed as she stood in her nightgown. She grabbed a throw and put it over her shoulders.

"We're breaking the contract to the Mellarks."

"How?"

"It turns out your young man's grandfather was a Merchant." her father looked relieved. "The future of our family business will be secure."

Delly's eyes flew to Gale; he was the tallest person in the room. His eyes were riveted on her face. Her ire suddenly flared and she had half a mind to say something.

Gale pushed forward. "Who hit you?"

She touched her cheek and winced. She'd forgotten about the welt that developed on her face when Myrtle Mellark slapped her. She could see his anger burn and she knew she needed to calm him down before he did something rash. "Gale," Delly began but Gale's eyes shifted from her face looking for someone to blame.

He turned on her parents. "Did you?"

"Gale," Delly tugged on his shoulder. He looked down at her. At first, his grey eyes seemed to drink her in before his gaze became clinical. His sharp gaze quickly inspected the rest of her, as if looking for more injuries. When his eyes once more traveled to her face, he softened at the sight of her injury. "It was Mrs. Mellark. It was done in the heat of the moment. She was upset by the results."

"Heat of the moment, you've got a red welt on your face, Red." He tipped her chin up to view her face.

Delly blushed at the mention of his nickname for her. The first time they actually spoke she was wearing her red cloak. He called her Little Red Riding Hood.

"Don't worry, it'll go down in a few days." Seeing his concern was different from his moody jealousy she'd been dealing with for the past few months. Delly touched his arm to soothe him. He became less agitated.

"Are you sure," his voice tender.

Moments like these were the ones that made her weaknesses for him apparent. Closing her eyes she had to recall that it was his jealousy that broke them apart. Delly stepped away from him.

"So you're the little girl who caused this hullabaloo," his mother stepped forward but didn't move any further into the room.

Delly could feel her face becoming red because she'd forgotten that she and Gale were not alone. Their little show was viewed by her parents, by his siblings, and by his mother.

"You're a tiny thing, shorter than Katniss." Mrs. Hawthorne peered right through her. Delly stood straighter letting the woman make her own decision. She hid nothing, there was nothing to hide. Everyone knew she was in the family way. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I was scared. Gale and I had an agreement that we would stop seeing each other no matter what. I was going to honor that, then I found out I was pregnant. I told Peeta I would turn myself in, to let him out of the contract." Delly looked at Gale who looked shocked by her confession. "Peeta knew the baby wasn't his, but told me he would claim it as his own. A baby shouldn't be faulted for the mistakes of the parents."

"Fair enough," Hazelle nodded. "Gale's gonna do right by you."

Delly nodded, her hands balled at her side. There was a time she would have happily said yes to this arrangement. However with everything that happened. She had her doubts, but she knew she couldn't walk away.

"You'll take care of him, my Gale, won't you?"

"Yes, ma'am." Delly walked over to Mrs. Hawthorne who towered over her. "As long as he'll have me."

Gale's look at the words caused her cheeks to warm. Delly looked away from him, knowing this was an arrangement, a means to an end. "Since this will be a marriage of convenience so that the baby can have a name and to keep the shop in the family, all we have to do is go to the Justice Building and file a marriage license. We should get going."

"No, we're having a Toasting!" Gale's outburst caused Delly to gasp. He looked around the room and no one said anything to deny his statement. Delly wasn't sure what to make of his declaration. She was robbed of speech and so were her parents.

His mother laughed and smiled brightly breaking the tension in the room. "Good, thought you might," Hazelle said. "Rory and Vick go get your brother's toasting bread." Hazelle took out a small coin purse and gave them a coin. "Been saving up for this day."

"Why don't you go to the shop and get dressed Delilah," her father said.

"Gale, escort your bride to be," Hazelle said.

"That is a good idea, when Myrtle arrived here with Delly in toe, imagine how shocked we were. I'll go get you a pair of shoes, no sense in you walking around town barefoot."

"When you come back we'll head over to the Justice Building."

Gale frowned then his eyes became sharp once more. He had gazed at her back. "Your nightgown is ripped Red," he growled. He took off his jacket and slipped it over her shoulders.

"It is?" Delly asked looking behind her but his long coat swamped her.

His voice thickened, "She hit you, and dragged you here from the shop without shoes or a coat?"

She put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm okay, Gale, I promise."

"You're pregnant with my baby," he said tight-lipped.

Delly was relieved that at least Gale accepted his impending fatherhood.

"Look at me. I'm okay. I've had no cramping, no dizziness. Yes, I was nauseous, but..." Delly shrugged. "That's par for the core when you're pregnant."

"I was sick morning, noon, and night with you, Yancy," his mother said.

Gale winced at the sound of his middle name.

"Here Delly, you can wear these, they'll be big on you," her mother said, coming out of the bedroom with a pair of flats. She slipped them on, she could feel Gale's mood next to her. He was pensive with pent up energy. He wanted to talk.

They walked outside side by side. This was the first time they had done so publicly.

"Why didn't you tell me the baby was mine? You could have come to me, we could have figured out a way."

"We agreed we wouldn't seek each other out when we separated. Before I could tell you, the word spread that I was pregnant and you were so angry with me. You couldn't even look at me." She slipped her hands in his coat pockets, she was cold.

He rubbed the back of his head. "I was pissed, because I thought you, you know."

"You think I would willingly sleep with Peeta?"

"Well, you two seemed so chummy."

"Gale!" Delly wasn't one to get angry but when she did, her voice shook.

"Delly," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Gale, he's my best friend." Delly stopped walking. She took a deep breath. If it wasn't for Peeta, she'd been in the stocks or worse. She leveled this giant man a look that cut him at the knees. "It's like you and Leevy. You guys are chummy, but I would never accuse you of sleeping with her. That would be ridiculous. You need to control your temper and use your words."

Spinning, she marched away. She wanted to rip him a new one for his stupidity. The last time they'd argued over this topic she ended up pregnant. There was nothing he could do to turn her life upside down. Well, except they were getting married with a real Toasting and they hadn't so much as spoken in a few months. And this silence made her mad even though they agreed not to speak to each other.

That lack of communication changed her, having gone through scrutiny when her morning sickness turned into afternoon and evening sickness. There was little doubt she was in the family way. Everyone wondered how she got pregnant because she was ugly and Peeta was a good guy. If it had been another girl who was pretty, people wouldn't have doubted, but she wasn't even considered plain. It was why when their friendship began to mature into something more she didn't want to believe that he would want her. She stopped again and wiped her face.

"I am disappointed, knowing me the way you did. You still believed the worst about me," she whispered. "That hurts Gale."

"Delly," he said. But she moved forward. Wanting him to mull over her words.

When they reached the shop, she opened the door and took off his coat. He grabbed her. "I'm sorry, Red."

"I know you are, but we have a long way to go, Gale." She put his hand on her belly. "We're going to be parents. And now we're going to have a Toasting, and that means we're going to have to give ourselves time to become reacquainted again. And I need time to let wounds heal."

Delly stepped back toward the side stairs that lead up to the apartment above.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I need time."

"You can excuse what that woman did to you but you can't forgive me?"

"I don't have feelings for Myrtle Mellark, Gale. I have feelings for you. And this," she pointed to her face, "will heal, but the wounds inside of my heart..." Delly shook her head.

"Red," he whispered, reaching out to her.

She pulled away. "I can't have you touch me."

"Why."

"Because," she knew that if he touched her and kissed her, she would easily fall into bed with him. She didn't want to only sleep with him, she wanted more. She wanted a friendship with him.

"Because?"

"Because you hurt me, and sex with you is great, but I'm not ready."

"So does that mean you don't want me?"

Delly walked up the stairs to the upstairs apartment. "NO."

"Then what does it mean, Red?" Gale asked from the bottom of the stairs.

She paused at the top of the stairs. "We needed to have open, honest, transparent conversations. We needed to trust each other and find an amicable relationship before we engaged in sexual intercourse again," she told him.

Gale, however, was good at getting his way. He was good looking, lean, intelligent, and tall. He was a heartthrob amongst men and women. She didn't think many people told him no or made him wait. Delly could count on one hand a very shortlist. Katniss, his mother, and now her. The only thing she could think of that would make him realize she meant business was to put a physical distance between them. "That means no sex."

Delly meant it as she quickly showered then brushed her hair. Instead of braiding it, which she knew Gale hated, she twisted it into a knot at the back of her neck. She wore her best dress which wasn't white, but a faded yellow. It was his favorite color. When she came down the stairs, he stood there watching her with that predatory wolfish glare of his that made her tremble.

"Gale, I meant it, no sex."

"What?"

"You're giving me that look again."

He ducked his head. "I can't help it, you look good."

"I don't know if I'm ready to be your wife in every aspect." She brushed a stray hair away from her face and winced.

"We've got to get some ice on that." He glanced over her shoulder at the coat rack. Her red cloak sat there. Gale's jaw ticked when he saw her cloak. She knew Gale was furious. She could see it on his face as he pictured what happened to her. When Mrs. Mellark came by, Delly was dragged from the shop to her parent's house. The woman was larger. Delly couldn't stop her and she had her child to think about. When Peeta heard what his mother was doing he ran out of the bakery only to just catch them as they reached her parent's house.

"Tonight, when all of this is over."

"I don't like that she felt she had the right to manhandle you that way." Gale's hands slid up her arms to her neck; the pads of his fingers touched her red cheek. His lips brushed over the tender skin.

"Gale I told you that no one sees me. My parents see me as too brash, to Mrs. Mellark I'm a means to an end, and to everyone else, I'm a pasty-faced, dumpy girl, with yellow hair. Peeta's mother was furious because our baby threatened her family. I am not condoning what she did, but I understand why she did it," she explained.

"You're a better person than me."

"No I've just faced so much…" she shook her head.

His hands went around her. "People didn't treat you right, including me."

She nodded.

"Hell, Red…" His hands brushed over her body, his lips brushed over the top of her head. "I should've stepped up." He pressed gentle kisses over her forehead, the tip of her nose, her chin, before making their way to her lips. The kiss was supposed to be a gentle, soft peck, but it turned as their kisses usually did, wild and explosive. His hands slipped over her soft curves, his deft fingers slid over the curve of her legs, higher under the hem of the dress ghosting over her thighs.

Delly moaned and pushed herself away. "No Gale, we...shouldn't…" she shook her head. "We can't." Even as she said this she warred with her body which demanded to have his hands on her, to hike up her skirt and let him have his way with her.

His lips brushed over her lips. "I just don't get why we can't. That's never been the problem."

Delly sighed. It was true, they had incredible chemistry in bed. They also had chemistry outside of it too. They had been good friends for a time, and she wanted both. She put her hands on his chest. "Gale, you don't get it, do you?"

"Explain it to me, Red."

"I want us to work, not just because of the baby. I want us; to want each other. Not just in bed but outside of it. I want us to support each other. I want us to be friends and work as a team. I've seen when marriages are done out of convenience and or a contract, and they don't make the effort to befriend the other. Let's just say they can't stand each other, their lives are miserable. I don't want that for myself. Nor do I want that for our child. Marriage isn't easy, baby…" Delly rarely used her nickname for him. She saw his eyes light up at its usage. "…and given our situation, it's going to be harder."

"Okay, no sex."

"Good and one more rule, we talk," she said, giving him a stern warning. "I need to hear what you are thinking, don't go lone wolf on me again. I know you got jealous of Peeta."

"I don't know why I got so angry at you for a situation that wasn't your problem. I just lost it when I saw him holding your hand and placing a kiss on your cheek. And I couldn't handle the thought of him..."

"Gale," she calmly said. She could see how his eyes turned dark.

"I know, I know," he grumbled. "Peeta never touched you." He sighed and extended his hand to retrieve the red cloak. Delly turned to watch him. She'd forgotten how long his arms were, how tall he was compared to her. She'd forgotten how small she felt in his presence, but how for a time she felt she'd become his equal.

Gale gently put the cloak around her shoulders. "He was doing the honorable thing. Hell, I'm grateful he stepped in, you could've been whipped, put at the stocks, or…" he drifted off. She knew what he was about to say, executed. Mrs. Mellark had every right to hand her over to the authorities.

Leaning up on tiptoe, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Gale hugged her.

Delly closed her eyes. They had a long way to go. She knew he was still hung up on Katniss. She also knew that somewhere inside of him, he cared for her, enough to look past her Merchant looks and want to do the right thing.

"We have to get going."

"Okay." He tipped her hood over her face. "Let's go, Red."

When they arrived, her parents had a loaf of bread for the toasting, and a small meal was ready for them to celebrate, both families joining together. It was agreed they should get married immediately. They went down to the Justice Building and signed the paperwork, but that still didn't make them a real couple.

When they got back she watched Gale tear a piece of the loaf off and toast it in the fire. When done, she watched the way those lips blew on the toast. Her mind went to how those same lips felt on her and she shifted uncomfortably when he fed her the bread. She accidentally sucked on the tip of his finger.

His grey eyes were like matches that were simmering, ready to reignite. Blushing deeply, she pulled back. He was now her husband, but when they were supposed to kiss on the lips she elected to kiss him on the cheek.

Kissing him on the lips was a dangerous thing. When they returned back to their new home, the apartment above the shop, Gale insisted on making sure she put something ice on her cheek. Rory and Vick promised to bring his things in the morning.

"Don't take it off," Gale warned.

"I won't." She shook her head.

"Also I want you to see Mrs. Everdeen. She probably has something that you can put on your cheek. Maybe even ask her to examine you." His eyes roamed her face, before slipping to her shoulders and arms.

"Excuse me?"

"You know to make sure the baby is alright." His eyes settled over her midriff.

"It will have to be after work. We're due to work in the shop tomorrow."

"Wait I'm going to work in the shop?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Because of your grandfather, you allowed our family to keep the business. When I turn 19, I will inherit the business and so will my spouse." She blushed when she said spouse, it was such an odd word. She thought the word husband felt so much more intimate but she was wrong. They were not just married but they had a Toasting. Now they were bonded, espoused with one another. "Which means, if you want, you can quit your mining job and you can become a cobbler."

"You want me to learn how to fix shoes?"

"And make them, the leather from the fur you and Katniss sell us make the best shoes."

"So you don't mind me going hunting in the woods with Katniss?"

"No, I trust you. So do you want to become a cobbler?"

"Yes," he cupped her face and kissed her.

Delly backed away. "Gale," she warned.

"Sorry."

Delly nodded. "We've got to put the food away before going to bed."

Later that night when she showed him his room he looked like a wounded puppy. "This is the biggest room. I figured you'd like the space."

Gale sat on the bed, a faraway look on his face. "This is the room where we made our baby."

Delly flushed recalling that night. He drunkenly proposed they play Little Red and the Wolf. But when he caught her, it wasn't sex that night, it was more. He made love to her. She shattered in his arms several times throughout the night. Delly became warm and achy, as thoughts of that night made her drowsy with desire. She wanted to feel him within her. Delly took a deep breath. Her body was trying to commit mutiny. It wanted, no, demanded, for her to go to Gale. She forced herself to say, "I'll be in my old bedroom just down the hall."

She fled to her childhood room. This new rule sucked


End file.
